Friday, August 31, 2012

Every studio is looking for a sure thing and the Mouse is no different...

So when we saw that the Walt Disney Studios were moving forward with "Peter and the Starcatchers" it became clear what they wanted from this. Franchise. Or franchise(s) I should say. A film that is a success will be something that any studio would want to exploit to the fullest potential. If a film based on a book is a hit then if that book is the first of a series of books it means it's got a brand name and a loyal following.

This means less risk when putting hundreds of millions of dollars into making a film. It makes bean counters less nervous, and suits more confident. This book by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson just happens to fill that requirement with an additional four books to translate if the first film is a success. What are they? Well, starting with the original first, Peter and the Starcatchers from Hyperion Books (which is ironically also owned by Disney):

Peter and the Starcatchers

A fast-paced, impossible-to-put-down adventure awaits as the young orphan Peter and his mates are dispatched to an island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They set sail aboard the Never Land, a ship carrying a precious and mysterious trunk in its cargo hold, and the journey quickly becomes fraught with excitement and danger.

Discover richly developed characters in the sweet but sophisticated Molly, the scary but familiar Black Stache, and the fearless Peter. Treacherous battles with pirates, foreboding thunderstorms at sea, and evocative writing immerses the reader in a story that slowly and finally reveals the secrets and mysteries of the beloved Peter Pan.

Peter and the Shadow Thieves

In this riveting and adventure-packed follow-up to Peter and the Starcatchers, we discover Peter leaving the relative safety of Mollusk Island -- along with his trusted companion Tinker Bell -- for the cold, damp streets of London. On a difficult journey across the sea, he and Tink discover the dark and deadly, slithering part-man/part-creature Lord Ombra. It seems that the dreaded Ombra has a variety of mysterious powers including the ability to make shadows disappear. When Peter reaches London, he sets out to find the indomitable Molly. Together they must combat Ombra's terrible forces to both protect the Starcatchers and the treasured starstuff and most importantly to rescue Molly's mother from the clutches of evil.

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon

Peter and Molly find themselves in the dangerous land of Rundoon, ruled by an evil king who enjoys watching his pet snake consume those who displease him. But that’s just the beginning of problems facing our heroes, who once again find themselves pitted against the evil shadow-creature Lord Ombra in a struggle to save themselves, not to mention the planet. It’s a wild desert adventure, with rockets, carpets, and camels all flying through the air, zooming toward an unforgettable climax...

Peter and the Sword of Mercy

The year is 1901 -- it's been twenty-three years since Peter and the Lost Boys returned from Rundoon. Since then, nobody on the island has grown a day older, and the Lost Boys continue their friendship with the Mollusk tribe, and their rivalry with Captain Hook. Meanwhile in London, Molly has married George Darling and is raising three children: Wendy, Michael, and John. One night a visitor appears at her door; it's James, one of Peter's original Lost Boys. He is now working for Scotland Yard and suspects that the heir to England's throne, Prince Albert Edward, is under the influence of shadow creatures. These shadow creatures are determined to find a secret cache of startstuff which fell to London many centuries ago. The starstuff is hidden in an underground vault which has only one key: the Sword of Mercy, a legendary weapon kept with the Crown Jewels. Molly is determined to help, but when she suddenly goes missing, it is up to her eleven-year-old daughter, Wendy, to keep the starstuff out of the Others' clutches. She has heard her mother's stories of a flying boy named Peter Pan, and he may be her only hope in saving the world from a shadowy doom...

The Bridge to Neverland

Aidan and Sarah cooper have no idea what they're getting into one afternoon when they discover a mysterious coded document in a secret compartment of an antique English desk their father recently bought at an auction. Something about the document seems familiar to Sarah, and that night she realizes what it is: the document seems to be referring to some books she has read—the Starcatchers series, about the origin of Peter Pan. But how could that be? The document seems far older than the books. And of course, the books are just stories.

Curious, Sarah and Aidan begin to decipher the mysterious document. At first it's a game --unraveling the mystery piece by piece, each piece leading them to a new, deeper puzzle. But soon the game turns strange -- and scary. Pursued by a being that can take any form and will stop at nothing to get what it wants from them, Aidan and Sarah embark on a desperate, thrilling quest for help -- a quest that leads them to some unforgettable people in some unlikely places, including one that's not supposed to exist at all.

Now, if only the first film is a hit the Mouse has plenty of make believe stories to make up for the silver screen. All they have to do now is make a great film from this first book.

Finding the right director and writer is truly like finding pixie dust...

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Well, it didn't take long before we found out what that Marvel Television series would be about...

Today the story broke that the Marvel television series that JossWhedon would guide for broadcast on ABC will be based on the secrective government organization ran by Nick Fury. S.H.I.E.L.D. does seem like an obvious choice for the show which will be based in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (I still believe people will be confused by shows like "Hulk," which will not be canon.).

For those of you that have been following Blue Sky Disney, we broke news of this possibility two years ago based on info from a couple of our Bothan spies. Of course, it was still in a very early stage, and the Suits at Disney/Marvel had no idea what the form would actually be, but the idea had been floating around.

With Joss Whedon producing/writing it with his brother, JedWhedon and collaborator Maurissa Tancharoen, the show looks to have the makings of the most prominent series Joss has ever created. His budgets won't be cut like on "Firefly," and his time slots won't get shifted around like other series of his. The profits from "The Avengers" will have many of those problems as the winds at his back.

And with him writing and possibly directing the pilot, helming that little sequel, and having a hand in the story lines of Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Two, it appears that he's on his way to competing with J.J.Abrams for pop-CULTure icon of the 21st century. Is there anyone out there that can't also see NathanFillion all in black as a hardened Shield agent fighting against the powers of Hydra? Perhaps he'll be a bridge to the film series and appear in both? From Browncoats to Black Suits? It could happen.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Those meetings have probably happened as of last week, unless they were postponed. Now the question is, what happened? Did the Suits ask del Toro to direct the adaptation he's doing of "Haunted Mansion" or not? And if so, did he say yes, or tell them he's too busy to decide what his next live action film is? Did they dangle a carrot? A production deal? A chance to make another dream project of his that the Mouse is willing to finance? Did they decide to move forward with the film with him as just producer/co-writer? I don't know the answer. But I do know that I want to know the answer.

And I want the answer to be yes, he will direct it next, but who really knows...

Friday, August 24, 2012

It looks like "Robot Chicken" does Star Wars or "Space Balls" if it was done in the Star Wars Universe, which shouldn't be surprising since this being made by the same people that did/do that series. It's clearly aimed at a younger audience than "The Clone Wars," but it does seem to have humor that will fly over kids heads. The question is, will the show fly over people's heads?

For more on the new show, check out its Star Wars: Detours Facebook Page and see some more clips and art. No word has been given yet as to where the animated series will land. Cartoon Network has been good for Lucas, so it might have the edge. I know that Iger and his crew wanted the Clone Wars series, but lost out to it. Will they try to get this for Disney XD? I'm not sure, but it's doubtful. It'll be interesting to see a full show of this and see how the story and jokes flow. Now, if KathleenKennedy can get the budgets to reasonable levels so we can get that live-action series.

Just thinking out loud here. Not that everything is going to happen, but when you look at a map you tend to have an idea as to where something is headed. The characters involved in the film tend to give you a hint as to where the story takes you. AdewaleAkinnuoye-Agbaje being cast asAlgrim, a powerful Dark Elf that eventually becomes the character Kurse, kind of tells you what will happen. Let us explore the possibilities, shall we?

Malekith manipulates Algrim into fighting Thor, and ultimately becomes a character called Kurse, but in the end he realizes that his real enemy is Malekith. I won't bring into this equation that the Beyonder turns him into Kurse, since that would mean he would be in this sequel - I doubt that will happen.

But with recent news that KatDennings will be returning along with NataliePortman, we know that some part of the real world will make it into this film. So what you can imagine is Portman and Kat's characters will probably get drawn into another realm: the Dark World, the world of the Dark Elves, known as Svartálfar.

This will likely be some trick that Malekith is using to capture Thor. His weakness for humans, and for Jane Foster specifically is the reason she's used for bait. Algrim will be used as a tool to kill Thor and at some point he'll be turned into Kurse to help finish his mission. And as always, Malekith will likely be trying to either take control of his world, or less likely Asgard. To do this, he's going to need some form of power (Casket of Ancient Winters, anyone?) and naturally, someone will be there to give him the tool to achieve his goal. Of course, there will be a price for that power. That price is the death of Thor. Now who would want that? Loki, naturally.

Is this right? Could this be the plot line for the script for "Thor: The Dark World"? Probably. But until we see a trailer it's all speculation and theory. But based on the casting, it has some merit. Each day a page turns, each month another chapter is revealed. And slowly, this dark world gets a little lighter. Now, this brings into speculation another part of Marvel's Nordic mythology that one wonders could be part of this film. Will this story lead up to Surtur for the third film, because that would be truly epic.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

If what the Vulturesays is true, then we're in for some fun films from the Mouse's live-action division. For those that don't know, the article says that one of the first films that Horn is working on is a reboot/sequel to the 1991 cult classic, "The Rocketeer."

This wouldn't necessarily be a sequel as a new film entirely. The project is supposed to go out to writers soon, and I pray they get talented ones that know the character, like the writers of "Captain America." As a matter of fact, get those two writers, and have JossWhedon do a polish on it as well. Perhaps call up PaulDini and give him a crack at it?

Perhaps this will be the unintended sequel that fans of the film have waited for. The character is deserving of another film, and there are great stories to be told within the world that Cliff Secord lives. Now as to who would/should direct it? I don't know if they'll go the tested route with a seasoned film director, or a new one that cut his teeth on commercials or some such. How about someone like Brad Bird (dreaming, I know), or Peter Jackson (really dreaming), or Matthew Vaughn (an interesting choice), or Jon Favreau (a bit too on the nose?), or Gary Ross ( who would be perfect for this if he wasn't directing another Disney project)?

And how about Cliff himself? I say give JaredPadalecki a shot at the role. He shares the same warm charm and genuine all-American appeal that BillyCampbell did. I think he'd play very well with a hair cut.

No matter who they decide on, this is a film I have and always will be waiting for...

Monday, August 20, 2012

The classic animated film is the definitive adaptation of the J. M. Barrie's classic novel that has defined how the story has been seen for half a century. There have been many versions since that have failed or succeeded to varying degrees. The best has been the 2003 live-action version directed by P.J. Hogan. StevenSpielberg, whom I always thought would be the perfect person to make a version of the film made his own, very flawed take on the tale with "Hook" back in the early 90's.

One of the first films under the Alan Horn regime that was optioned before he came in, but green lit under him now has a director: GaryRoss. Many in Hollywood were wondering what the next film the director of "The Hunger Games" was going to do next, and now we know. This reinterpretation of the classic story told as a prequel to how Peter came to Neverland is now one of the projects being lined up for production in 2013. Ross is an appropriate director for the project and can bring the right vision of innocence and open possibilities that the classic story evokes in generations of people.

Now, if someone will just film the "Nevaland" script that floated around Tinsel Town earlier in the decade...

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Let's get one thing straight. You don't go into a movie like The Expendables without knowing what you are getting yourself into. If you've seen the first film and enjoyed its larger-than-life salute to big 80's action stars then you know exactly what you should expect from the sequel. It's more of the same formula: Big on star power machismo, ammunition, and one-liners and simple on plot, exposition and intelligence. The bottom line is; you don't watch The Expendables expecting any Academy Award winning performances. If this doesn't sound like kind of movie that you would normally enjoy watching then you came to the wrong party.

The Boys are back: Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross, Jason Statham as Lee Christmas, Dolph Lundgren as Gunner Jensen, Terry Crews as Hale Caesar, Randy Couture as Toll Road and Jet Li as Yin Yang while Mickey Rourke is out as Tool but the testosterone meter is still off the charts. Liam Hemsworth joins the team as the youngest "expendable" Bill the Kidd. The Expendables have been recruited by Church to stop weapons-grade plutonium hidden in a Albanian mine during the Cold War from falling into the wrong hands and it's time to bring in the Dirtier Dozen.

The muscle and star power are man-uped the second time around. There's much more Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis this time who only appeared in smaller cameo roles as Trench and Church in the first film and there's more iconic 80's action stars that the fans have been begging to see like Chuck Norris as Booker a.k.a. the "Lone Wolf" and Jean Claude Van Damme as Vilain, and what an apropos "villain" he makes. It seems Steven Seagal is still the odd man out due to a publicized disagreement with the producer Avi Lerner, although when asked if he would be in Expendables 3 his response was "We'll see." Rumor has it that Clint Eastwood and Harrison Ford have already been approached for the third one as well with plans to acquire Nicholas Cage and Wesley Snipes to the Expendables 3 dossier.

Expendables 2 is a blast if you can appreciate it for what it is; it's the guiltiest kind of guilty pleasure and it makes no apologies for being what it is. The first one feels almost like a dress rehearsal but the sequel is bigger and a lot more fun. There are hilarious one-liners and bad puns aplenty and the chemistry between these legendary screen icons takes badassery to a whole new cinematic level. The epic showdown between "The Italian Stallion" Stallone and the "Muscles From Brussels" Van Damme makes it worth the price of admission alone.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

And next month to celebrate the release of all the Indiana Jones films on Blu-Ray, Lucasfilm is going to have a one week release in IMAX theaters of the greatest movie of all time. At least, according to me. It's my favorite film and the most out of body experience I ever had while watching a film. Now Lucasfilm and IMAX have released a trailer for the film.

From September 7th to September 13th you'll be able to experience Henry Jones Jr.'s first adventure like never before. IMAX 70 mm is a beautiful experience and if you've never seen it, this is a great way to experience it. Click here if you'd like to see it when the limited release happens.

The other day someone leaked what sounds like the trailer for Marvel Studios "Iron Man 3" would be like. It seems to follow the tone of what some our saying about this third outing for the billionaire/philanthropist-vigilante/hero. It's going to be a darker, more harrowing tale of the comic character. Not so much, as following Stark down the neck of a beer as in "Demon in a Bottle," but as in watching a character take a stroll down a road where everything he has is stripped away from him.

KevinFeige has sad as much when he was talking about taking Tony Stark back to that cave we saw him in the first film. But from what I hear, I don't think people realize how far into that dark hole he actually means. From what I'm hearing, this film will be closer to "The Dark Knight Rises" than "Avengers." While I don't believe it'll actually be that dark, I believe it'll cross over into territory near it. If you've ever read or seen the comic/motion comic "Extremis," then you'll realize that this Iron Man isn't going to be making as many flippant jokes.

We're going to see him brought back to what makes him who he is. And considering he's just seen an attempted alien invasion of Earth, things have changed. How could your world not be altered after experiencing something like that? And with ShaneBlack in charge and no writer's strike this time, I expect a script worthy of the actors in this film. I've made no attempt to hide my belief that this film could be the best of all three Iron Man films, and I'm certainly more interested in seeing it that the second outing of Marvel's God of Thunder. Black taking over the directing of the franchise is a primary reason why I feel that way (Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang is awesome, and the reason Downey got the role of Tony Stark in the first place).

So now we wait to see a trailer showing us the third installment of the film that started Marvel's foray into the control of their own filmic destiny. The chances that we'll see RD Jr. in an Avenger's sequel is a little higher now that the company has shown a willingness to re-up JossWhedon for that film. Will they sign him for just "Avengers 2," or another round of Iron Man films? That's a question I don't think even Tony Stark knows the answer to.

But I do believe it's going to be a dark journey toward the light for this character, and this Disney division's future films...

Monday, August 13, 2012

A great idea is as simple as black and white...Buena Vista Street is supposed to be the vision of what Walt would have seen...

It's where is dreams would have started, his story would have began to be told. And if it were told in the 1920's/1930's, it would have been shown in glorious black & white photographs. So imagine what it would have looked like to walk down that street with a big, old Speed Graphic camera and snap a picture as you go to the Hollywood Hotel (before that tragic accident, of course) to hear that great new trio, the Silver Lake Sisters sing, or go shopping for a new suit in that dapper new store, Elias and Co., or stop for a refreshingly, cold and creamy treat to beat the heat of a 30's summer in southern California at Clarabelle's Ice Cream. Or... you get the idea.

Focusing almost entirely on the Extreme Makeover and rebirth of Disney California Adventure, he talks to reporter, Devin Leonard about Buena Vista Street/Cars Land. While it's a short interview, done while exploring the park, it's interesting getting into the mind of Iger, and how it relates to balancing the creative and business side of a company as big as the Mouse. I also like the fact that the CEO can admit mistakes. That's a rare quality that isn't shared with the former head of Walt's Empire.

A new episode will be released every Wednesday at 12:00 p.m.PST. This will continue until the finale in January of next year.

It's compelling sci-fi that deserves a look. Even if the series doesn't succeed, the format likely will. You can expect more shows like this to follow as the Web gets bigger and our world gets smaller. And the opportunities for more/alternative/creative shows and entertainment will broaden as the technology gets democratized. Warner Bros. Digital Distribution seems to get this and is moving forward proactively. The Question you have to wonder, is the Mouse doing so as well?

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Author Johnston McCulley created a character that first showed up in All Story Weekly that captured the hearts of the magazines readers. Set in the Old West of southern California when it was under Mexican rule, "The Curse of Capistrano" told the story of a masked vigilante that fought the corrupt government and its oppression of the local people. All dressed in black, a flowing cape and mask were his image, but the mark that he left in his wake was his calling card.

Zorro was born on this day. In the 1950's when Walt was looking for material he could turn into live action shows for his television show, he decided to turn this character (whom had already been successful in film) into a weekly television series. Millions of children, young at heart or simply young, would turn in each week to see the adventures of hero that fought for justice and road off into the night. Happy Birthday, Don Diego de la Vega.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Wow. Now that's something I never saw coming. The Warner Suits must really be happy with the dailies their seeing from "Argo." The director/actor of "Gone Baby Gone," "The Town," and "Argo" appears to be the only one who has gotten the script by Will Beall. Which means, that Warner is so confident in his ability that they're going to wait until he says no before going after another director.I know some have expected that being as he's an actor, he might take one of the roles. I hope not. He will hopefully approach this as a director only.

Which isn't bad, especially if Warner is expressing this much respect for his talent...

Because it's the start of researching the feasibility of the massive mini-park that they plan on constructing there. My Bothans told me that the design phase of the project has settled to the point where they have a general idea of what will come of this blue sky period.

Well the land will be Big, very BIG. It'll be approximately 10-12 acres (Example: Cars Land = 12 acres) and will be filled with distinctive horticultural differences from the surrounding areas of the park to realize that you've left the earth for something special.

There will be at least three attractions (rides) in the land with plenty of places to eat exotic, foreign foods and shop for strange, alien merchandise. Of those attractions, at least one will involve a flight simulator technology that will be heavily modified from the ones used for "Soarin' Over California."

Cameron has been very helpful in detailing what makes up the planet and how it ecologically can be explained to guests. He's let them pour over the extensive notes and even given them a peek at what is to come in the sequels. The Imagineers are unsure yet if anything from the sequels will make it into the first phase of this land. That's right, I said first phase. If it's successful then they have talked about the ability to expand the area within three to five years for additional attractions, shows and entertainment.

The name of the area will not be "Avatar" as some have mistakenly thought it would be. The three prime names that are being bandied about are: Pandora, The World of Pandora, and Pandora:The World of Avatar. The last one is what most think will be the final name, but nothing is certain yet.

Those of you that are disappointed that the Beastly Kingdom concept wasn't used will know that there are those at DAK that would like to revive it. Many believe that if this is successful it may pave the way for bringing back a variation of it sometime in the next decade. While it wouldn't be exactly the same, it would still fill the fantasy requirement that was originally set up by WDI when they pitched the park: A park celebrating animal life - real animals (the zoo part), extinct animals (dinosaurs) and mythical animals (fantasy animals). While some don't like the Avatar concept, it does fall under the branch of mythical animals, although it's more of a sci-fi branch than a fantasy one. Nevertheless, Imagineers still feel that someday they'll be able to bring the fantasy part of this park to life and have the mythical land be split into a fantasy and a sci-fi element.

But either way, this park will look worlds different (and better) right after the middle of this decade...

Joss Whedon has signed an exclusive deal with Marvel Studios for film and television through the end of June 2015. As part of that deal, Whedon will write and direct Marvel’s The Avengers 2 as well as help develop a new live-action series for Marvel Television at ABC. He will also contribute creatively to the next phase of Marvel’s cinematic universe.

This is uncharacteristic of Marvel. They've shown little loyalty to the directors/writers of their projects. Jon Faveau is the only director to come back more than once and no writer other than Whedon, I believe has worked on multiple films for them. This shows an enormous amount of respect for Joss and his vision for the MCU P2 as it goes forward.

The statement also lets you know that "Avengers 2" will be out before June 2015 since that is when the deal expires. It also talks about how he'll help out on the rest of the upcoming slate of Marvel films. So we could see him contribute to rewrites/polishes on several of the upcoming scripts. Which is great news for fans of the films. I can imagine that he'll be involved in "Captain America: Winter Soldier" because of his past association with it, but "Guardians of the Galaxy" could be something of interest as well since his "Serenity" work.

But the future of Marvel Studios just became a whole lot more positive...

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

It's a great look into how the man works, the process he's taking with "Pacific Rim," and the progression on many of his projects. But until now, he hasn't mentioned the remake of "Haunted Mansion" that he was working on.

I delivered my last draft five weeks ago. I have a meeting with them in three weeks. I know they like the screenplay. I need to meet with them in three weeks. That’s what I know. I know their reaction to the draft was good. We have a bunch of conceptualist art, but you never know, to predict anything else is hard for me to know. I should have called them and said, “Hey.” Usually, it’s very hard for me to predict what a thing like that means.

BobIger announced the news geeks have been hoping to hear for months...

JossWhedon is signed for "Avengers 2." And not just that, but he'll develop a television show set in the MCU, likely the one we heard about last week. Now, Iger didn't reveal any details other than the fact that Whedon would be back. You have to expect the Mouse has got Whedon signed, because to announce that without the ink being dry wouldn't be very smart. And Iger is a very savvy businessman.

Along with being in charge of "Avengers 2," it also means that he'll likely have some say in the Second Phase of Marvel's films, and that is really good news. Joss knows comics, he knows characters and he knows story. So he'll like help guide the narrative of the scripts as they move forward towards the second Avengers film.